Tractor



W. L. POPE.

TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7. 1920.

1,397,015. Patented Nov. 15,1921.

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TRACTOR.

APPLICATION men SEPT. 7. 1920.

1,397,015. Patent6dN0v.15,1921.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

fPaterited Nov. 15, 1921.

Application filed September 7, 1920. Serial No. 408,566.

T 0 all whomv it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. Porn, a citizen of the U ited States, residing at Huntersville, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Tractor, of which the following is'a specification.

This invention relates to tractors.v one'of its objects being to provide a machine of this character having means for transmitting motion from the engine to all of the supporting wheels, it being possible to shift one of the wheels bodily for the purpose of steering the vehicle without, however, interfering with the drive to said wheel.

. A further object is to provide a tractor having means whereby agricultural implements, while connected, can he raised and lowered so as to engage the soil at the proper depth.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction. hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the tractor.

Fig. 2 is a bot-tom plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. at is an enlarged section on line i4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 55, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line 66, Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates theframe of the tractor one side of which is preferably bulged at the center, as shown at 2 while the other side is preferably straight with its front end 3 projecting laterally and the rear end pro vided with an inwardly projecting portion 1. To the frame 1 is secured a suitable platform 5 carrying the engine 6 which can be of any preferred construction and also carrying the seat 7 to be occupied by the driver.

Secured to one side portion of the tractor adjacent the inwardly projecting portion d Is bracket 8 having a spindle 9 extending therefrom and laterally beyond the frame of the tractor. ()n this spindle is journaled a supporting wheel 10 of any desired con struction and provided with an internal ear 11.. This gear meshes with a small drive gee-r12 secured to a shaft 13 which jonn naled in a bearing 14 provided therefor on the tractor frame. A worm gear 15 s6 cured to the shaft 13. and meshes with a worm 16 carried by the upper end of a vertical shaft 1? which is suitably journaled within the platform of the tractor and within the braciret 8 and is provided at its lower end with a worm gear 18 arranged under the platform Another bracket 19 is secured to the bulged side portion 2 of the tractor frame and has a spindle 20 extending laterally beyond the tractor frame. A supporting wheel 21 is journaled on this spindle and has an internal. gear 22. This gear constantly meshes with a small driving gear 23 which is keyed on a shaft-2 1 mounted in a suitable bearing 25 on the bracket 19. The shaft 24.- is adapted to slide within the gear 23 and has a head 26 seated within a recess 2'? in said gear. A spring 28 is housed in the recess in gear 23 and comes against the head 26. A clutch member 29 is mounted on and rotates with the shaft 2-1 although said shaft is capable of sliding therein. A. worm wheel 30 is loosely mounted on the shaft 24- and is with clutchface 31. adapted to engage the clutch member 29. the spring 28 serves to hold the clutch face 31 normally pressed against the clutch member 29 so that when the worm wheel 30 is rotated under ordinary conditions the clutch member 29 and the gear 23 will also be rotated. When, however, the rotation of the worm wheel 30iis subjected to excessive resistance, said wheel will be free to rotate independently of the clutch member 29, the face 31 slipping over said clutch member 29 against the action of the spring 28.

A worm 82 engages the worm wheel 30 and is provided at the upper end with a vertical shaft 33 extending downwardly through the bracket 19 and platform 5. To the lower end of this shaft is secured a worm wheel 34.

Pivotally mounted on the tractor frame where it extends laterally, as indicated at 3, is a bracket 35, this bracket being adapted to swing about a tubular pivot member 36 Thus it will be seen that i as shown in Fig. 4. On the bracket is ar ranged a bearing 37 and extending laterally from the bracket is a spmdle'38 on whlch is journaled a supporting wheel 39. This wheel has an internal gear 40 constantly engaged by a small gear 41 secured to a.

shaft 42 journaled in the bearing 37. A

worm wheel 48 is secured to the shaft 42 and is engaged by a worm 44 secured to the upper portion of a vertical shaft 45. This.

shaft is journaled within the-tubular pivot 36 and is provided, at its lower end, with a worm wheel 46.

The engine 6 drives a sprocket 4? adapted to transmit motion through a chain 48 to a spr clzet 49 secured to a longitud nal shaft 50. This shaft is journaled in suitable bearings 51 on the bottom of the tractor worms; 52 and 57 so that the worm wheels v 18, 34 and 46 will all be actuated and the various supporting wheels will be driven at aslow speed. i

The bracket 35 has its inner end concentric with the pivot thereof and provided with teeth as indicated at 58. These teeth "are adapted to be engaged by a worm 59 secured to a shaft 60 journaled on the tractor platform. A bevel-gear 61 is secured to the shaft 60 and meshes with a bevel-gear 62 secured to a steering post 63. The steering wheel 64 is secured to this post and is located within convenient reach of the occu-' pant of the seat 7. Thus it will be seen that by manipulating the wheel 64 the bracket 35 can be swung about its pivot so as to shift the wheel 39 and steer the tractor in a forward or backward movement. This steering will in no way interfere with the transmission of motion to the wheel 39,how

ever. 1

The inwardly projecting portion of the tractor frame indicated at 4 and in fact any other portion of the side of the tractor can be provided with suitable means for adjustably holding ground engaging elements A bevehgear 53 is se- 7 Each of these means. which have been in-' with teeth 69 adapted to be engaged by a worm r0 yournaled on-the tractor and which can be rotated by means of a hand wheel 71. hus' it will be seen that the standard 67 can be. easily and minutely adjusted upwardly or downwardly to bring into proper relation to the surface of the soil the implement attached to the standard 67 A suitable clevis or other form of attaching means indicated generally at 72 can be provided for connecting various forms of agricultural implements to the tractor.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a tractor the combination with supporting wheels and means under the control of the driver for bodily shifting one of the wheels to steer the tractor, of a l0ngitudinal shaft, a transverse shaft driven thereby. a motor for actuating the longitudinal shaft, a plurality of vertical shafts,

means for transmitting motion thereto from the longitudinal and transverse shafts respectively, gears carried by the supporting wheels, drive-gears meshing therewlth, and

means for transmitting motion tot-he drive 7 gears from the respective vertical shafts.

'2. In a tractor the combination with a frame, a supporting wheel connected to the central portion at one side thereof, and nonalining supporting wheels connected to the end portions of the other side thereof, of means under the control of the driver for bodily moving one of the last named wheels to steer the tractor, an engine driven longitudinal shaft, a transverse shaft receiving motion therefrom, a vertical shaft adjacent each of the supporting wheels, means for transmitting motion to the vertical shafts from the respective longitudinal and transverse shafts, and means for transmitting motion from the vertical shafts to the supporting wheels.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my slgnature in the presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM L. POPE.

lVitnesses: r 7

JOHN L. Porn, J. MCALEXANDER. 

